Last year around 750 applicants sat for the 1st DSA written test. So that figure should be about right.

AshleyL:

Hi! Would appreciate some help here.


My child is in his first year in NJ and he is not doing well in his studies. I am trying to find him assessment books or exam papers to help him but I can't seemed to find anything for IP schools.

Can anyone share with me how do your kids revise for their CAs and SAs please?
Do you think textbooks are sufficient?
What kind of assessments do your child practice on?
Sec 1 express stream books?

Appreciate all advice. Thanks!

For Math, this was sold together with the school textbooks during orientation:
https://www.openschoolbag.com.sg/product/practice-revision/integrated-programme-mathematics-book-1

For Chinese, the syllabus is similar to mainstream. So Sec 1 Chinese assessment books are useful. Just make sure the topics in the assessment matches those in his textbook.

I personally feel that textbooks and assessments are not sufficient. There is only so much the teacher can teach in class and for subjects like Thinking, Geography, Science...it is important for the student to read widely during his free time. Newspapers, magazines, science and other non-fiction books. Documentaries are also useful. A visit to the museums is a far better way to learn about the History of Singapore/Asia then rote learning (not to mention better retention). Old Ford Factory is finally revamped and up and running

pokemon:

I try my best of knowledge to answer yr queries.


1) bfast staple usually are bread n pao with various fillings bt most day will still hv fried noodle or fried bee hoon. Coffee, tea n milo. Dun think hv soupy stuff in the morning.

2) No such option.

3)mini blender shd be allowed. There will be talk before jh1 boardg start, you cn chk with the boardg master)

4) although i hv not brgt any food to my ds bt i kn parents or food deliveries hv to wait at guardhse and yr kids hv to go dwn to collect it.

5)its q hard to say...lol. Sm food do get pinched. For food dun req refrigeration pls kp in the room in a container.

Hope this is of help to you.

Thank you so much for your reply! Much appreciated!

Hi there,


My girl is in Yr1 and will be experiencing boarding school for the first time. Would like to learn from parents who has gone thru this process:
(1) Can I find out what is the usual fare for breakfast and supper? Any non-gluten options daily for breakfast (porridge, mee hoon soup?
(2) Will there be an option not to include breakfast and supper and pay a lower boarding fee?
(3) Are mini blenders allowed to be used?
(3) I read in old forum threads that some parents bring food for their child. What are the rules concerning this?
(4) Is it safe to leave food in the common fridge and expect it to be still around in a few days time?

Thank you for your advice in advance!

Omega-3 fatty acids are helpful in lowering triglycerides, decreasing the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes, decreasing blood pressure, decreasing inflammation naturally and improving brain function.

Thanks floppy! Besides these, is there any other places with fitting rooms to recommend? Looking for affordable sleeveless casual dresses at reasonable prices. Not into brands. Willing to pay a little more than Platinum Mall prices.

My daughter and I am very skinny. I have bought dresses from wholesale malls previously and some dun fit well. Can anyone share if malls like Union Mall, Terminal 21, Siam Sq boutiques offer changing rooms?

:thankyou:

The answers are definitely not from the respective schools. it cannot be trusted.

Dreamaurora:

yeng:

Ikid,


No plans to use piano cert for DSA. I am now considering to not to let Dd take G6 Theory exams next Feb/Mar and solely let her concentrate on G7 Practical in 19mths time (Early 2017). Do you feel that it is too rush?

My concerns are (1) she might lose touch & not be able to catch up if we stop lessons and only resume after PSLE in 14 mths time. We would prefer not to invest in lessons just for leisure (or to sustain) during this time (2) she might be too busy to continue lessons in sec & it would be a waste to stop since she obviously enjoys it and is fairly good in it (3) I view music as a way to relieve stress and thus feels that incorporating lessons even in P6 is a good thing. Dd agrees too.

I am just not certain whether it is wise. Perhaps other parents who has kids who have gone thru PSLE can advise. Dd currently excels in sch. Best class (extra homework), Higher MT. She does not currently need tuition outside of school so she is not as pressed for time like her classmates. She is very independent and does her homework and revision without much supervision. But nevertheless, I foresee that she will be increasingly busier as the PSLE draws nearer.

Dreamaurora,
Thank you for your detailed reply. It is very much appreciated. Dd only started \"struggling\" with her G6 exam preparations one month ago. That was when her piano teacher received her actual exam dates and started to be gan jiong about Dd pace. \"it is quite important to finish the majority of the workload early even before registration\" - I certainly do not think that is the case with Dd.

After reading your reply and some others on the forum, I am considering not to let her proceed with G6 Theory early next year and let her just focus on G7 Practical. What do you think? I understand that only a Grade 5 Theory is required for G6-8 Practical exams and a student can always resume G6-8 Theory lessons much later in life when necessary. Does this mean that not taking grade 6-8 Theory will not affect how well she plays for her G7-8 Practical exams?

Totally left in the lurch by Dd's inexperienced piano teacher and any advice will be much appreciated.

My kids are still very tiny but I do have a couple of higher grades students who are currently in Sec 1. They continued lessons with me during their PSLE years with 3 months no lessons from the month of July to September. No exams were planned at all during their PSLE years. They continued lessons as usual after their PSLE, though one had to be persuaded to resume as she had lost the momentum because she practically did not touch the piano for 2 months. But after one month or so, she was back to her usual self.

Yes, only grade 5 theory is required to attempt grade 6-8. Not having advanced theory will not affect how well she plays, but it may affect her personal understanding of the music i.e. can play well but may not understand the reasoning. Sight-reading and aural on the other hand will be affected by lack of theory proficiency, but for aural the teacher can just teach the theory necessary to answer the aural questions.

I think all the teachers would have made exam planning errors at some points of their careers. I admit I probably could have planned some of my earlier students' exams better, but we all learn from mistakes. Anyway, 19 months including PSLE months (so in practice, can at most get 14 productive months) are more than sufficient to prepare grade 7 if your DD is consistent in her work. I would advise to start the pieces now and get them done by June as I have mentioned earlier.

Thanks Dreamaurora! You have been a great help & a real asset to this forum!

Ikid,


No plans to use piano cert for DSA. I am now considering to not to let Dd take G6 Theory exams next Feb/Mar and solely let her concentrate on G7 Practical in 19mths time (Early 2017). Do you feel that it is too rush?

My concerns are (1) she might lose touch & not be able to catch up if we stop lessons and only resume after PSLE in 14 mths time. We would prefer not to invest in lessons just for leisure (or to sustain) during this time (2) she might be too busy to continue lessons in sec & it would be a waste to stop since she obviously enjoys it and is fairly good in it (3) I view music as a way to relieve stress and thus feels that incorporating lessons even in P6 is a good thing. Dd agrees too.

I am just not certain whether it is wise. Perhaps other parents who has kids who have gone thru PSLE can advise. Dd currently excels in sch. Best class (extra homework), Higher MT. She does not currently need tuition outside of school so she is not as pressed for time like her classmates. She is very independent and does her homework and revision without much supervision. But nevertheless, I foresee that she will be increasingly busier as the PSLE draws nearer.

Dreamaurora,
Thank you for your detailed reply. It is very much appreciated. Dd only started \"struggling\" with her G6 exam preparations one month ago. That was when her piano teacher received her actual exam dates and started to be gan jiong about Dd pace. \"it is quite important to finish the majority of the workload early even before registration\" - I certainly do not think that is the case with Dd.

After reading your reply and some others on the forum, I am considering not to let her proceed with G6 Theory early next year and let her just focus on G7 Practical. What do you think? I understand that only a Grade 5 Theory is required for G6-8 Practical exams and a student can always resume G6-8 Theory lessons much later in life when necessary. Does this mean that not taking grade 6-8 Theory will not affect how well she plays for her G7-8 Practical exams?

Totally left in the lurch by Dd's inexperienced piano teacher and any advice will be much appreciated.